It’s Not the Evidence; It’s the Practice Brian Stecher RAND Corporation/CRESST 2005 CRESST Conference UCLA September 9, 2005

What Is Evidence-Based Practice? Content Standards Students Are Supposed to Master Insight into Learning Patterns Curriculum That Will Promote Mastery of the Standards Information About What Students Know (and Don’t Know) Customize Instruction to the Needs of Individual Students Learner Insight/Participation in Learning

Destination Trail Map Landmarks Guidebook Judgment

Teachers Are Familiar With Content Standards Elementary and Middle School Mathematics Teachers in Three States: Have a “Thorough Understanding” of Content Standards (66%) Aligning Math Instruction With Content Standards (80%) Standards Include Too Much Content for a Year (75%)

Limited Understand of Learning Progressions Greatest in Early Literacy Improving in Mathematics Beginning in Science (NRC, 2005)

Continuing Concerns About Curriculum Mathematics Curriculum Should Be “Focused, Logical and Coherent” (TIMSS) US Mathematics Curriculum Is “a Mile Wide and an Inch Deep” (Stevenson) “Scientifically-Based” Reading Curricula Being Adopted Effectiveness?

Emphasis on Extra Evidence NCLB: Annual Standards-Referenced Testing in Reading and Mathematics Districts Are Imposing Additional Testing Requirements 73% of Teachers in GA Are Required to Administer “Progress” Tests Every 6-8 Weeks Two-thirds of Principals in US Report Their School Uses Progress Tests in Reading; One-half in Mathematics More Common in Low-performing Schools Curricula Are Incorporating Formative Assessments, E.G., Open Court

Yet, Evidence Already Abounds Flood of Formal Classroom-Based Evidence Assignments Quizzes Tests Inundation of Informal Classroom-Based Evidence Teacher-student Interactions Classroom “Participation”

Teachers Think They Are Acting on Evidence Vast Majority of Teachers in Three States Say They Use Test Results Identify Students Who Need Remedial Assistance Tailor Instruction to Individual Student Needs Identify and Correct Gaps in the Curriculum

But, Is Evidence Used Effectively (By Teachers or Students)? Effective Use Includes: Linking Evidence to Learning Progressions, Curriculum and Lessons Linking Evidence to Instructional Activities Engaging Students in Self-Assessment Managing Individualized Instruction Providing Coordinated Supplemental Services

Teachers Not Prepared For Evidence-Based Instruction Few Teachers: “Know Mathematics in Ways That Enable Them to Help Student Learn” (NRC, 2001) Different From Content in College Math Courses Possess “Mathematical Knowledge for Teaching” (Ball, Hill, et al.) Diagnose and Correct Mistakes Respond to Student Creativity

Making Evidence-Based Practice a Reality There is Some Value in Standards-Based Assessments External Measures Challenge Classroom-Based Judgments Accountability Fosters Public Conversations, Pooled Insights More Emphasis on Data Use Analytic Tools Help Manage Individual Data Decision Support Tools and Enhanced Reporting Strategies Improve Teacher Knowledge for Practice